Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for delivering a software program to a network device such as an image formation apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, software including a firmware program in an image formation apparatus has been updated when the update is required due to occurrence of a functional improvement or a failure therein. Such image formation apparatus here may be a printer or a copy machine. Hereinafter, an apparatus running over a network such as an image formation apparatus will be called a network device.
Software update may be performed by delivering an updated software program from a predetermined delivery server over the Internet or by using an update tool via a USB or over an intranet. In a case where a software update is performed in a network device through the delivery server as described above, a delivery target network device is designated through a Web screen of the delivery server, and a delivery date and time is set so that an updated software program is delivered over the Internet.
The delivery server delivers a software program to a network device by using the Internet. For fast software delivery, the delivery server is capable of transferring a software program to a storage connected to the Internet so that an external server can deliver the software program.
Conventionally, a set-value management server is available for managing set values for a network device. The set-value management server handles set values for a serviceman for a network device and set values for a user, and configuration information as management targets. A target network device may access the set-value management server so that those set values may be synchronized periodically or when a firmware program therein is updated. The set-value management server is further capable of editing settings for the device on the server. Data edited thereby are reflected to the device through the set value synchronization mechanism.
The delivery server holds as package data setting item information to be used in the set-value management server. The setting item package held in the delivery server has information regarding use of authentication, use of personalization, a priority discharge tray, and a printing density setting as setting item information for the network device. The set-value management server may access the delivery server periodically or as required to download the setting item package and update the setting items.
As a conventional technology relating to content delivery and set-value management in a network device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-86370 proposes a firmware update system capable of safely and securely taking over set values for a firmware program to a new firmware program.
More specifically, the firmware program update system includes a set value encryption unit configured to acquire set values which have been set in the current firmware program and encrypt a part of the set values, a set value transmission unit configured to transmit an encrypted set value and an unencrypted set value to the delivery server, a firmware program acquisition unit configured to acquire the new firmware program, in which the encrypted set value and the unencrypted set value have been set, from the delivery server, and a firmware program update unit configured to decrypt the encrypted set value and install the new firmware program.
As described above, the set-value management server acquires a setting item package from the delivery server at a time period when it is required. There may be a case here that firmware update may be desirable in a network device when the setting items include an urgent setting item for security and anti-virus purposes. In addition firmware program updates may be required in various cases such as a case where a business firmware program should be applied but a general firmware program is applied instead, a case where old setting items are left in a network device which manages the set-value management server, and a case where a setting item has a bug.
Though such a delivery server is capable of delivering a firmware program remotely, the remote delivery of a firmware program is not performed to a network device holding a delivery permission flag being OFF. A general delivery permission flag has a setting not to permit an external operation from a delivery server, for example. Thus, conventionally, a delivery server is not permitted to perform remote delivery of a firmware program to a network device holding a delivery permission flag being OFF.
In this case, in order to perform remote delivery of a firmware program, a serviceman may be required to go to the setup location of the network device and turn on the delivery permission flag in the network device, for example. In this case, when a large number of network devices are the targets of the delivery, it may require an enormous amount of labor and costs for the serviceman, taking time until the delivery of the firmware program. Therefore, quick application of a software program such as a firmware program to a network device is not provided disadvantageously.